Overdrive
by sentinel28
Summary: Okay, the readers asked, just who the heck is this Otomeinu anyway, and what's happened to the Inutachi we know and love This chapter should answer those questions. For the sequel to Overdrive, see Stand Your Ground.
1. Children of the Storm

_OVERDRIVE_

_An "Inu-Yasha" Alternate Universe Short Story_

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Never watch "The Matrix Reloaded" and "Inuyasha the Movie 2: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass" back to back. Weird stuff happens. Like this. Free your mind, man!_

_Anyway, this is an interesting take on the "Inu-Yasha" story (I hope). See if you can figure out who is who...and yes, the title comes from the fantastic "Mona Lisa Overdrive" by Juno Reactor on the "Reloaded" soundtrack._

_By the way, the Japanese drive like the British–on the opposite side of the road as we crazy Americans do. So if the directions seem a little messed up, there's a reason for that.–S28A_

_Narita International Airport, Japan_

_6 August 2008_

_2100 Hours (9:00 PM) Local_

The customs agent stamped the passport and handed it back. "Here you are, Miss...Youkai?"

"That's right. Is there a problem, sir?"

The agent swallowed briefly, then shook his head. "Uh..no, not at all." He bowed respectfully. "Welcome back to Japan."

"Thank you." A nod of the head was her response to his bow–barely enough to be respectful. "It's good to be home." The woman walked off, picking up her briefcase as she did so. The customs man watched her go, admiring the swish of her hips. She wore a woman's business suit of white, nicely offset by two pink stripes down her flank and a provacatively slit skirt, her black hair caught up in a bun. Those red eyes, though...the agent shivered as he watched her meet a group of men in business suits. _They must be contacts, or maybe cyberware,_ he thought. Not unusual among the weird kids that hung out in the Harujuku district of Tokyo, but definitely not something he was used to seeing among diplomats. He shrugged, pushed it out of his mind, and went on to the next person waiting in line.

He checked through three more people before his supervisor tapped him on the shoulder. "Urashima-san." The agent turned, and the supervisor thumbed behind him. "Chief Edogawa wants to see you. Now. I'll cover for you."

_Uh oh. Hope I didn't screw up again, _Urashima thought. He left the customs booth and rapidly walked over to where he saw Narita's Chief of Security, Shin Edogawa. Urashima braced and saluted. "Customs Agent Urashima, reporting as ordered, Chief."

Edogawa grunted. He looked to the woman beside him, and so did Urashima. Like the woman he had just passed through customs, she was dressed in a woman's suit as well, but less fashionable, clinging, and dark red; a beret of the same color was perched on her head, from under which her thick fall of black hair streamed. Her eyes were hidden behind mirrored sunglasses. She showed him a badge. "Inspector Otomeinu Higurashi, Interpol Section 9," the woman said by way of introduction. Before he could do more than nod, she had produced a small folder, opening it and thrusting it under his nose for inspection. "Have you seen this woman?"

Urashima looked down. "Miss Kagura Youkai? Why, yes, certainly. Just a few minutes ago." He glanced at Edogawa, feeling his stomach turn to ice with dread. "Was I supposed to stop her? Her passport went through without a hitch in the scanner."

"It would have," Higurashi mused, half to herself, half to the two men. "Where did she come from?"

"Kazakhstan," Urashima answered. "Part of the trade commission."

"They just arrived half an hour ago," Edogawa added.

"How many?"

"About ten, I think. Maybe a dozen," Urashima said.

"Did she declare anything?"

Urashima nodded. "A diplomatic pouch. It was under seal, so I didn't search it...regulations..." His voice trailed off as he noticed she had gone very pale.

"How big was it?" Higurashi asked in a half whisper.

"It was a briefcase. Fairly large." Urashima indicated the size with his hands. He looked back to Edogawa. "I...I didn't just mess up, did I?"

"No," Higurashi said before Edogawa could reply. "No way you could have known. Thank you." She quickly shook hands with a befuddled Urashima, then began half-jogging away. Edogawa had to hurry to catch up. "What is it?" he asked. "What's going on? Who is this Kagura Youkai?"

"A terrorist."

"A _what?!"_ He grabbed a walkie-talkie from his coat. "I've got to seal off the terminal. With luck, we can catch her before she's out of here–"

"No, Chief!" Higurashi exclaimed. "Don't even think about it. Your security is good, but my team must handle this."

Edogawa's face reddened. "Inspector Higurashi, with respect, Narita has a special operations team specifically trained for antiterrorist activity. We can handle any emergency."

"Not this one, Chief. Not Kagura. Trust me."

He shook his head. "This is my jurisdiction, Inspector. Not yours. I'm not letting any terrorist loose in my airport." He raised the walkie-talkie to his lips, but before he could speak, Higurashi's hand closed around his and tightened with an iron grip. "What the hell do you–"

"Chief," Higurashi said quietly, "Kagura's carrying a briefcase nuke." His eyes widened in sudden terror, and she nodded. "You trap her in here, and she might just decide to detonate it. Her own life doesn't mean much to her."

"But how–the metal detectors and security posts–" The truth dawned on him. "Oh, shit. Diplomatic seal. It wouldn't be searched."

Higurashi nodded and let go. "Let my team handle this, Chief. It's our job."

"A damn briefcase nuke," Edogawa breathed, sweat beading on his forehead. "I never thought...have you done this sort of thing before?"

"Yes."

"How long?"

"Sometimes it seems like several lifetimes," she said cryptically. "Put your team on standby, Chief–just in case."

"Where are you going?"

"To do my job." With that, she began to run.

* * *

Otomeinu Higurashi manuevered around the crowds in the airport. Rather than push her way through the packed escalators, she bypassed them by sliding down the partition, elitciting a few screams and curses from the people on either side of her. She reached bottom and kept running; as she did so, she pulled a throat microphone from her suit pocket. It was sound-powered, which would allow her to keep her hands free. She already had an earpiece. "Sai," she said into it.

"Go, O," Sai said. His voice sounded tinny in the little earphone.

"It's worse than we thought. Kagura just got back from Kazakhstan, and it looks like she's got a suitcase nuclear bomb with her."

"Kami, O! We thought she was after a jewel shard–what does Naraku need with a damn suitcase nuke?"

"No idea," she puffed as she half-slid around a group of tourists, "but we'd better stop her before she gets to Tokyo with it. Bring the car around, fast!"

"On it."

Otomeinu allowed herself a brief smile. Sai could be annoying, but he was reliable. "Kilala, are you listening?"

"Yes."

"Find Kagura. Do not engage. Understand? Don't attack."

On the roof of Narita, Kilala nodded. "Understood." She took two steps forward and then lifted off the ground, steam rising from where she had stood. Kilala preferred her natural cat form for flying normally, but her smaller, human form was less noticeable–black jumpsuits stood out against the rainy night sky much less than yellow fur. She allowed the cool wind to carry her slightly away from Terminal One of the sprawling airport, ears flicking as a Singapore Airlines A380 super-jumbo airliner climbed away from the runway a half mile behind her. Red eyes scanned the front of the terminal below, searching. Those eyes narrowed as she saw the figure she knew and hated too well: Kagura loved white, the color of mourning in Asia, and pink, that of cherry blossoms. "Have her," she growled into the throat mike. "Climbing into big tan car."

"Are there any others?" Otomeinu's voice sounded in her ear.

"Yes. Others." She hesitated for a moment, watching the men in the suits divide up, getting into two of the tan cars. "Two tan cars. Kagura in first one." The vehicles started and then pulled into traffic. "Moving." She spotted Otomeinu reaching the front door. "See you. Cars to your right."

Otomeinu shoved past an older woman, ignoring her protests to get through the entryway quicker. She stopped at the edge of the sidewalk, and looked up the road. The only two tan cars she saw were two SUVs, but they both carried government license plates. _Naraku thought of everything,_ Otomeinu groused inwardly. _Bastard._ She sniffed the air. Underneath the sweetness of fresh rain and the poisonous stench of car emissions, was the cloying, sickly smell of a demon. She glanced upwards, into the sky, and thought she spotted Kilala hovering there, a crescent moon behind her. _Thank the gods, it's not full._

The SUVs were well ahead now, in traffic. No chance of catching them on foot now. She touched the throat mike. "Kilala, stay with them. Track."

"Yes." The tiny pinpoints that was Kilala's fire moved away from the moon.

"Sai, where are you?" Otomeinu asked impatiently.

"Right here!" The shout came from her left. She watched in horror as a black SUV cut across two lanes of traffic to screech to a halt in front of her, splashing filthy water over her boots. "Agh!" Otomeinu screamed. "Dammit, Sai!" She stomped up to the side of the car. "Asshole! You ever hear of a turn signal? Gradually merging with traffic?!"

"He can't help it if he learned to drive from manga." The girl in the left, passenger seat grinned at Sai. She brushed hair the same color as Otomeinu's back from a heart-shaped face.

"Kiss my tail, Kagome." Sai leaned out of the window. "How many we talking here?"

"Figure on a dozen men. Or maybe demons–this is Naraku's bunch, after all. Plus Kagura."

"And her suitcase nuke. You know how to liven up a boring evening, Otomeinu." Kagome shook her head. "At least I dressed for the occasion." She looked down at her catsuit.

"Let's not wait around, O. Hop in." Sai leaned back to open the rear passenger door.

"No–we split up. We don't know which SUV has the nuke. You guys take the rear SUV–Kagura's mine."

"What the heck are you talking about? How're we going to split up?"

Otomeinu pointed. "I'll take that. Hand me Tetsusaiga."

"Rin, hand up the sword." It was placed in his hand, and he handed it out the window. "You're crazy, O! You can't take Kagura yourself!"

"Kilala can help me–she's tracking them." She took the sword from him and buckled it around her back. "The longer we stand here jawing, the further Kagura gets ahead. Kagome, notify Section 9 what we're doing–just in case. See you later." She waved at them over her shoulder as she ran off.

"You're not your father!" Sai called out after her, then scowled. "Though you sure as hell act like him sometimes..."

"Let's go, Sai," Kagome said. "She's right–we've not much time."

"Fine." Sai pulled out into traffic, using his turn signal this time.

Otomeinu watched them pull away briefly, then reached out and tapped the shoulder of a man unbuckling his helmet. When he turned, she showed him her badge. "Hi. Interpol. Police emergency. Need your bike."

"Right now?"

"Yes. I'll bring it back without a scratch." She climbed on before he could protest, gunned the engine, and also pulled into traffic, narrowly avoiding a bus.

"Hey!" the motorcyclist yelled after her. "There's a helmet law, y'know!"

* * *

"Kagura-sama?"

Kagura looked up from where she had idly been watching the rain come down. "What is it?"

"I think we have company, ma'am. Of the youkai variety." The driver adjusted his rear-view mirror. Kagura leaned forward and peered into it. Something was moving behind them in the night sky. She rolled down the window and stuck her head out. "Damn," she breathed, then turned to the driver. "It appears we have Section 9 on our tails. Floor it." She reached into a pocket and fished out a cell phone, rapidly dialing in a number. "Goshinki Two, this is One. We've got company. Move it." The man on the other end acknowledged, and she closed the phone as her driver began to weave through traffic. "Four hundred years, and still they try."

* * *

"Cars going faster," Otomeinu heard Kilala say. "Spotted me, I think."

"Stay with them, Kilala!" she yelled over the roar of the motorcycle and the hiss of tires on wet pavement. She was about a dozen cars behind Sai and the others as they cruised down the Shin-Kato access road, the other terminal and control tower going by on either side of the sunken roadway. "Sai, this is O–looks like they saw Kilala."

"I heard," he radioed back. "I see them. Looks like they're going–yeah, they're turning onto the Higashi-Kanto, going south." The Higashi-Kanto Expressway connected Narita with Tokyo, less than twenty minutes to the south.

"Okay."

"You still planning on taking Kagura? You're behind us."

"I'll catch up." Otomeinu tapped the brakes, as the traffic ahead slowed to take the access ramp onto the expressway. She cursed softly, knowing she would never be able to get ahead at this rate. She glanced ahead, and a dangerous, possibly even suicidal plan formed in her mind. She loved it.

Otomeinu pulled into the right lane, the road that went straight ahead into Narita town. It was mostly empty, and she sped up easily. She whipped past Sai's SUV, sparing them a quick wave, then was past. She passed under the overpass, the six lanes of the Higashi-Kanto, then roared through a stop light, slid the bike into a hard left turn, and went up the ramp, heading into oncoming traffic. Horns instantly set up a cacophony of honks and beeps, but she kept to the side, barely avoiding clipping side mirrors, then was past the crowded offramp and onto the expressway itself.

"Otomeinu heading the wrong way!" Kilala said in alarm. She put her arms to her side and left a thin trail of fire as she accelerated, trying to keep the motorcycle and its rider in sight.

"That crazy little bitch!" Sai shouted, as he got a glimpse of a silver motorcycle and a mane of black hair as it whipped past three lanes of northbound traffic to his right. Kagome's eyes were as big as plates as she gripped the instrument panel in front of her, shaking her head at the sight. "Gods, has she lost her mind?" she said, then spotted Kilala in the sky above. If possible, her eyes got larger and she gripped her throat mike in near panic. _"Sweet kami, Kilala, LOOK OUT!"_

Kilala tore her attention away from Otomeinu as thunder filled her ears. "EEK!" she mewed as she saw the source of the thunder–an engine three times her size. The engine was attached to a gigantic Boeing 777 that was climbing out of Narita. Kilala felt the inexorable pull of the huge turbofan and threw herself upward, somehow avoiding the vortex, then bumped across the wing and rolled down the flaps, promptly being blown nearly a mile away by the jet blast. She spun away, keening.

"Kilala, Kilala!" she heard Kagome yelling. "Are you okay?"

"Kilala okay," the catgirl sniffled, floating. Once she had gotten her bearings, she flew as fast as she could to the south, because now Otomeinu was alone.

* * *

"I swear there was something on the wing! It was right there a minute ago!"

The stewardess sighed. "Please understand, Mr. Shatner, it was just some condensation off the wings..."

* * *

* * *


	2. Fight the Wind

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry about the time lag of the update...last week, I was actually teaching a course on anime at my local university (not as kewl as it sounds), and so 1) I didn't have time to update and 2) I was so sick of anime in general that I didn't feel like writing about it, even my favorite series. Yes, Jschu, you can get burned out on anime. After writing a lesson plan around Pikachu, there's no telling what abomination would have come out of writing on that night..._

_Anyway, I'm more or less back to standards, so I will try and update sooner this time. I apologize for the short length of this chapter as well, but that's deliberate. "Overdrive" will be nowhere as near as long as "The Killers and the Killed"–just long enough to introduce the new merry band of Inu-tachi. _

_Note that I have reprinted the last paragraph of the first chapter–it makes more sense that way. And yes, all the interchanges and highways mentioned in this chapter (and the last) do exist in modern Japan._

_REVIEWER'S CORNER: _

_Aria-Wolfstar: Glad you like it...as for who Sai is, I guess you'll just have to figure it out. _

_SnowySilver: I do apologize for the blatant homage to Trinity's "drive the wrong way down the interstate" schtick in _Matrix Reloaded_ for this chapter. The confusion is deliberate, but all will be revealed..._

_Hawker748: Glad to see you back, and glad to see that someone got the _Twilight Zone_ joke. Just the idea of seeing Bill Shatner (especially the modern version) staring wide-eyed as a catgirl goes bouncing across the wing tickles me. And yeah, cleaning Kilala out of that turbofan would have required a spatula and a garden hose. Ew._

_Jschu25: I don't know why I spell Kilala "Kilala" instead of Kirara (which is the Japanese version, and probably more proper). I just sort of like it better. And yeah, it's no great giveaway that Otomeinu is Inuyasha and Kagome's daughter; her name, freely translated, means "Dog Daughter." Glad to see you back as well._

CHAPTER TWO: FIGHT THE WIND

_What is it really that's going on here_

_You've got your system for total control_

_Now is there anybody really out there_

_Now watch us suffer 'cause you can't go_

_What is it really that is in your head_

_What little life that you had just died_

_I'm going to be the one that's taking over_

_Now this is what it's like when worlds collide._

_–Powerman 5000, "When Worlds Collide"_

_The Higashi-Kanto Expressway_

_North of Tokyo, Japan_

_6 August 2008_

"Otomeinu heading the wrong way!" Kilala said in alarm. She put her arms to her side and left a thin trail of fire as she accelerated, trying to keep the motorcycle and its rider in sight.

"That crazy little bitch!" Sai shouted, as he got a glimpse of a silver motorcycle and a mane of black hair as it whipped past three lanes of northbound traffic to his right. Kagome's eyes were as big as plates as she gripped the instrument panel in front of her, shaking her head at the sight. "Gods, has she lost her mind?" she said, then spotted Kilala in the sky above. If possible, her eyes got larger and she gripped her throat mike in near panic. _"Sweet kami, Kilala, LOOK OUT!"_

Kilala tore her attention away from Otomeinu as thunder filled her ears. "EEK!" she mewed as she saw the source of the thunder–an engine three times her size. The engine was attached to a gigantic Boeing 777 that was climbing out of Narita. Kilala felt the inexorable pull of the huge turbofan and threw herself upward, somehow avoiding the vortex, then bumped across the wing and rolled down the flaps, promptly being blown nearly a mile away by the jet blast. She spun away, keening.

"Kilala, Kilala!" she heard Kagome yelling. "Are you okay?"

"Kilala okay," the catgirl sniffled, floating. Once she had gotten her bearings, she flew as fast as she could to the south, because now Otomeinu was alone.

Otomeinu was unaware of this fact, and it wouldn't have mattered anyway. She paid no attention to the occasional honks and yells in her direction; she was not yet in any danger, because there was plenty of room between the nearest lane and the retaining wall blurring past on her right. Through the traffic that whirled by, she spotted the two tan SUVs. A smile on her face, she put her head down beneath the windscreen of the bike and pushed it as hard as it would go. The speedometer quickly rose past 100 kilometers an hour, then 110 and 120. If she lost control at this speed, even the fire-rat material of her suit would not save her.

She stole a glance behind and hoped she had gotten ahead far enough. Another glance ahead: the traffic had thinned slightly. Otomeinu closed her eyes for a second, said a prayer, then swerved head on into oncoming traffic. Water sprayed over the windscreen and soaked her face, while her ears–freed from the beret, which had long ago blown away–were assaulted by a cacophony of horns, the roar of the motorcycle, and the scream of the wind. She was seconds away from death, or at the very least serious injury, as she chose clear lanes through the traffic at closing speeds exceeding 200 kilometers an hour. There was no time for fear, only the instinctive movement of the bike, in what the samurai had called _muga_, action without thought.

Then she was through the traffic, much quicker than she thought, swerving through light bars and traffic cones. This lane was completely bare of other cars, and she eased off the throttle a little. She noticed muddy tire tracks disappearing under her tires, and spared a moment to brush a few strands of thick raven hair from her face. Then she realized why the lane was closed. The upcoming interchange–where the Higashi-Kanto met the Keiyo Expressway at the Miyanogi Junction–was under construction. Directly in her path was a large bank of muddy earth, put there by workers and robots for tomorrow's work. She had only a few moments to choose: either stop, or dive back into traffic.

Then she spotted a southbound tractor trailer in the lane across the concrete divider, and realized there was a third, even better option. _Sorry, Papa,_ she thought briefly, then pushed the bike as hard as it would go. She made a quick calculation, hoped she was right, and aimed straight for the dirt pile. "Looks like Section 9's gonna get a bill," she said aloud.

The motorcycle hit the pile at 115 kph. As she had prayed, it had been arranged into a loose ramp, and though the mud instantly snatched at the bike's wheels, it retained enough momentum to go airborne. She cleared the wall by about twenty feet, and more by instinct than sight, Otomeinu kicked free of the bike in midair, somersaulted backwards, and drew Tetsusaiga from her back. It was strangely silent, only the wind rushing past her ears and the feeling of unfettered flight. Then she landed hard on the tractor trailer. The thin metal crumpled slightly, and the surface was slick enough that she slid towards the edge. Otomeinu rammed the tip of her father's sword into the top of the trailer and stopped. The bike disappeared off into fields on the far side of the southbound expressway. She turned and saw Kagura's SUV approaching. A brief, predatory smile flitted across her lips as she braced herself on all fours, pulling Tetsusaiga free.

Neither Kagura nor the two other people in her SUV saw Otomeinu until it was too late. She launched herself off the back of the trailer, the brilliant sword flashing silver in the amber lights of the highway as she pointed it in front of her like a spear. The driver bellowed an oath and did the worst thing possible: he slammed on the brakes even as Kagura shouted at him to put on the gas. Instead, she and the man next to her were thrown forward into the seats in front of them.

Otomeinu hit the hood of the SUV hard and slid, but her aim with Tetsusaiga was true. The blade tore through the windshield, the steering wheel, the driver's chest, the seat behind him, and the gunman behind the seat. Otomeinu kept one hand on the hilt of the sword and grabbed the windshield wipers for purchase as she dug in her feet.

"Damn you, Otomeinu!" Kagura yelled. She brought her feet up and slammed down the seat in front of her, giving her a clear line of sight through the starred windshield at a pair of yellow eyes. Two decorated, serrated fans snapped out. "_Dance of the Blades!"_ she screamed. The very air solidified and shot outwards, shattering the windshield. Otomeinu threw herself out of the way, grabbing the hilt of Tetsusaiga with both hands and rolling over the side of the SUV, nearly getting her legs wrapped up in the whirling tires.

Kagura, beside herself in anger and frustration, crawled forward, made a grab at Tetsusaiga and got shocked for her trouble. Noticing that Otomeinu was still trying to keep her feet from sliding off the hood, Kagura gritted her teeth and aimed for her enemy's heels. Otomeinu saw Kagura readying her fans, took a deep breath and rolled back onto the hood; keeping her left hand on Tetsusaiga, she raked her claws at Kagura's face. Kagura reared back, but the edge of one serrated claw still drew blood across an otherwise flawless cheek. Roaring oaths, Kagura threw herself backwards, once more readying her spell. Otomeinu got a good purchase on the edge of where the windshield had been, ignoring the pain as the glass shards sliced into her hand. She would need that blood, now that Kagura was out of range of her claws.

Abruptly, both women realized that no one alive was driving the SUV.

It had slowly begun to drift to the left, and neither had noticed that it was now in the exit lane for the Miyanogi junction. Fortunately, there was no other traffic. Unfortunately, that was because it was under construction. The SUV smashed through a number of plastic barriers, flattened a few traffic cones, and caromed a construction robot off the front bumper, sending it flying into traffic even as it frantically waved an orange safety flag. The SUV then shot up the exit ramp, and both women could see that it was not going to stop until it struck the only barrier in its path–a four-foot thick ferrocrete divider that would stop a tank. They looked at each other for a moment, then Otomeinu shrugged at Kagura, pulled Tetsusaiga free, and tumbled off the SUV into a pile of muddy dirt left to fill in the divider once the exit ramps were complete. Though it was considerably better than hitting the pavement at nearly 90 kilometers an hour, it was not a soft landing. Otomeinu gasped in pain as she felt a shoulder separate. She stopped rolling just in time to see the SUV hit the ferrocrete head on. The car crumpled instantly, tires bursting amid a spray of white steam from the shattered radiator. The SUV came off its back wheels as if to go over the top, then crashed back down. Otomeinu half expected it to explode, but it did not. Of Kagura there was no sign.

Painfully, Otomeinu dragged herself out of the mud that now covered her, head to boots, and hefted Tetsusaiga over her uninjured shoulder. She hobbled on shaky legs over to the wreck, hoping she could swing the sword one-handed if Kagura was still inside and waiting. A glance inside the shattered interior showed no Kagura, and for that matter, no briefcase either. That meant Kagura didn't have the nuke.

She heard a thump behind her, and turned. Kagura half-floated, half-crawled over the opposite wall of the bridge. Her suit was badly torn and matted with blood, her hair was as bedraggled as Otomeinu's, and she dragged one leg behind her in obvious pain. "Otomeinu," she hissed with more hate than the other woman thought possible. "Will your family ever leave me in peace?"

Otomeinu levered the sword off her shoulder; the blade struck the pavement with a thunk and a few sparks. "What do you think, Kagura?" she replied. "Naraku still lives, and you still serve him, so that makes you my enemy."

"Do you think I have a choice in whom I serve?" Kagura cried.

"I don't care," Otomeinu snapped. "You're a terrorist. It's my job to stop people like you." Her fingers involuntarily twitched, her claws seeming to itch for Kagura's demon blood.

"Terrorist!" Kagura scoffed. She held out her hands in front of her, as if for handcuffs. "This isn't the Sengoku Jidai and you're not your father. You can't simply be judge, jury, and executioner, puppy. You're the law, so arrest me! You'll find that you have nothing on me!"

Otomeinu sniffed a laugh. "Sure, Kagura. Not a bad idea. I'd love to hear you explain to the high court of Japan how you think a briefcase nuclear weapon is 'nothing.'"

"Briefcase nuclear weapon?" Kagura repeated, eyebrows beetling together in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, give me a break, Kagura! You just came back from Kazakhstan on a trade mission for the Economic Planning Board, which Naraku's got in the palm of his hand. There's nothing in Kazakhstan that the Onigumo Group is even remotely interested in. Except for one of those nice little nuclear weapons that Russia keeps misplacing. And it just so happens that a little bird tells me that one went missing during your time there. Diplomatic immunity keeps you from being searched. Am I warm, wind bitch?!" Otomeinu, despite the waves of pain radiating from her injured shoulder, gripped Tetsusaiga with both hands and raised it off the pavement.

Kagura made no move to open the fans she still carried in both hands. Instead, she was looking at the ground, obviously in thought. "Otomeinu," she said slowly, "I swear to you on the name of Buddha that I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yeah? So what's in the briefcase? A change of diapers for Kanna?"

"I don't know what's in the..." Kagura's voice trailed off as she suddenly realized where her train of logic was going. Their eyes met, red on yellow, and knew the other had the same thought:_ Naraku didn't tell Kagura what she was carrying._

"You'll excuse me," Kagura said. "It seems my presence here is no longer required." She reached up for one of the feathers that still hung askew in her hair.

"Kagura, wait!" Otomeinu put out a hand, retracting her claws. "Naraku's played you for a fool. Help me stop the other SUV. I can help you!"

Kagura shook her head, with a sad smile. "You're definitely Kagome Higurashi's daughter, Otomeinu. Trying to change the world." She tossed the feather to the ground, even as it grew under her feet. "It's too late for me. Stop the other car if you can." And then she was gone in a billow of feathers and the rush of wind.

Otomeinu watched the feather fade away and sighed. "Dammit." She reached up to her throat and was half-surprised to find the mike still there. She tapped it. "Sai, are you still there?"

"O! I thought you were dead or something." The relief in his voice was obvious. "We just passed the Miyanogi Interchange five minutes ago. Looks like something smashed up the construction site."

"Yeah, that was me. Where's the other SUV?"

"Still going like a bat out of hell for Tokyo. We're still with him. Kagome's trying to get Section 9 to set up a blockade at the Kasai Interchange. We've been hanging back in case they get too jumpy." Otomeinu summoned a mental image of a map of the area: Kasai was inside Tokyo. Too late to not cause massive property damage and loss of life if the nuke went off.

"Sai, listen. You're going to have to take them _now._ Those guys have no idea what's in that case."

"How do you know?"

"Because Kagura and I just beat hell out of each other and she told me!" Otomeinu shouted in frustration. "Sai, they might try to force the roadblock. Those briefcase nukes are unstable, and even if it doesn't go off–"

"–it'll spread radioactive material all over the damn place. Okay, O, we'll do our best." Sai paused. "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"I'll send Kilala–"

"Kilala helps you," Otomeinu ordered. "I'm fine. Take that other SUV before they get into Tokyo."

"Roger that. Oh, by the way, Kagome wants to know what happens if they pull the plug on the nuke when we pull up."

"Tell her that Naraku's boys don't know what's in the briefcase."

"What if you're wrong?"

Otomeinu gripped a rapidly throbbing headache. "Then I guess we'll get to find out how good Rin really is with Tensaiga, won't we?"


	3. Blood on the Tracks

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: One day I will quit making promises I can't keep. This took longer than I thought to get together. _

_Little bit more explained in this chapter, so it should at least partially reveal who's who. Also check out the "Emperor's Japanese" just below here for a few more clues. _

_THE EMPEROR'S JAPANESE DEPARTMENT:_

_Kitsune: Probably a "no-duh" question with _Inu-Yasha_ fans, but a kitsune is a trickster fox-spirit. Shippo is a kitsune._

_Bakeneko: Literally "monster cat." Kilala/Kirara is a bakeneko, though you could also call her a youkai (demon) or possibly a hengeyokai (shapeshifting demon), especially in this story._

_Baka: fool. Not something used in polite or normal conversation by Japanese, except of course by American otaku or anime schoolgirls upset with certain hanyou. (In this chapter, when Kagome screams "baka," it helps if you've ever watched _Inu-Yasha_ subtitled in the original Japanese. I swear, Kagome's voice actress says that word like no other.)_

_Taijiya: Demon-hunter. What Sango is._

_Ikazuchi: Thunder._

_REVIEWER'S CORNER: _

_Hawker-748: For some reason, I've grown to like Kagura. She's a tragic character, though I don't think she's all golden deep down–in the second Inu-Yasha movie, she certainly didn't take long to latch onto some other evil being. Still, I like her and can't help but want to give her a Darth Vader-like ending. _

_As far as the Eva Matrix goes, I really need to get back into it. I just haven't felt like writing much comedy and/or Eva lately. Too much Sengoku Jidai, I guess._

_Pen2: Nope._

_Jschu25/Snowy Silver: This chapter ought to get all straightened out. Let me know if you got the characters' heritage right!_

CHAPTER THREE: BLOOD ON THE TRACKS

_Explosives are not what it takes_

_You know terrorists always make these mistakes_

_What we gotta do is build momentum_

_If you need the right tools invent them_

_Ride the wave of time, come feel the rhythm_

_The march to the future has come, get with them_

_The brain is the generator of almighty power_

_Either do it now or your master plan goes sour._

–_Scotty D, "Drop the Bomb"_

_The Higashi-Kanto Expressway_

_North of Tokyo, Japan_

_6 August 2008_

Kagome looked over at Sai. "What's the plan?"

"We stop the other SUV." Sai pushed the accelerator to the floor and sliced across the lane.

"How?"

"Thought we might just ask them to pull over. Get your badge out." Their SUV caught up to the other and Sai rolled down the window, looking across at the rough-looking men dressed in black suits. "Excuse me!" Sai shouted over the hum of traffic and hiss of rain on concrete. "Interpol!" Kagome waved her badge with what she hoped was a winning smile. "Pull over! We'll need a driver's license and proof of insurance!"

Sai's answer came in the explosion of a shotgun blast as the passenger opened fire. Sai stomped the brakes a split-second before he saw the flames shoot from the barrel of the Ithaca pump-action. The slug skipped over the hood. Sai swore indignantly, taking his foot from the brake back to the gas as the tan SUV pulled ahead.

"_Get down!"_ Kagome shouted, and nearly shoved his head under the steering wheel. There was another blast, and the windshield exploded into glass fragments. "Great idea!" Kagome screamed. "'Ask them to pull over'–baka!"

Sai glanced above the instrument panel, now covered in glittering shards of safety glass. He manuevered their SUV behind the other, temporarily away from the shotgun. "Well, what did you have in mind? Ask them if you could bear their child or something?" He ignored her middle finger. "Yeah, yeah...Rin, are you okay?" He spared the girl in the backseat a glance. Rin gave him a look that would melt steel and gave him an indignant thumbs-up.

"Stupid, stupid kitsune..." Kagome mumbled as she pulled her sword from beneath the seat and used it to clear away the remains of the windshield. "And we didn't bring any guns! 'This is Japan,' Otomeinu says. 'We have strict gun laws here,' Otomeinu says! If we live through this, I swear I am going to beat that damn hanyou repeatedly about the head and shoulders with a two-by-four–"

"Ah, shut up!" Sai snapped. Seeing the rear window of the tan SUV being lowered, he waited a second and then turned the wheel hard left and stomped the accelerator. "Quit complaining and toss something out of your bag of tricks at them!"

Kagome broke off her complaining to reach into one of the pockets of her black and red jumpsuit, withdrawing a baseball-sized object. "Hold it steady, dummy," she growled at Sai, then tossed the ball at the still open passenger window of the other SUV. It missed, bouncing off the side, and exploded a second later in a cloud of purple smoke. The slipstream pulled it into both speeding cars, though Naraku's men caught the worst of it. Sai blinked, his eyes smarting. "Okay," he nodded, ignoring Kagome's coughing, and gave the SUV all it was worth, pulling ahead of the other machine, which had slowed in an attempt to get out of the smoke cloud. Sai touched his throat mike. "Kilala, where are you, kittycat?"

"Kilala ahead of you, stupid kitsune," he heard the _bakeneko_ reply. "Have you in sight."

"Roger. Stand by." He glanced into the rear-view mirror, seeing the other SUV beginning to catch up. "Here's the plan. We can't push them into the wall, so Kilala, I want you to pounce on the other car's hood. Rin and I will jump over and take out the bad guys. Kagome, you stay in support and get ready to pull us out if we get in trouble."

"What?" Kagome replied. "That's a stupid plan! It's even dumber than your usual–"

"Rin, open your door!" Sai shouted, cutting off Kagome. Rin's eyebrows beetled together in confusion, but she shrugged and did so, holding it open with her foot. Sai did the same. "Ready? _GO!"_ And with that, he hit the brakes.

The black SUV went from over 85 kilometers an hour to less than forty in two seconds, dangerously on the edge of a skid. It was effective, though: the tan SUV had no time to react as it went past, neatly smashing into both doors on the right side of the black machine. Sai and Rin had to pull their feet back in quickly or risk having them torn off with the doors, which went with a screech of abused metal and sparks, to smash against both SUVs before ending up in the road.

The tan SUV kept accelerating, the driver still trying to figure out what the maniac in the other vehicle was doing. The man next to him shouted a warning and he looked up, only to see the road ahead blotted out by a mass of yellow fur, two huge red eyes, and a maw of glittering fangs. Kilala, now in her normal form of a giant sabretooth cat, slammed all four paws into the hood of the tan SUV. The tough machine's hood somehow did not buckle and the driver wisely kept his foot off the brake, which probably would have caused the car to go end over end. As it was, the front of the SUV came down hard for a moment on the tires before the shocks compensated. It slowed just enough for Sai to pull alongside. "Grab the wheel, Kagome!" he ordered. "Let's go, Rin!"

"What the–" Kagome scrambled for the wheel as both Sai and Rin suddenly leapt from their seats, out the holes where the doors had been, to land solidly on the tan SUV–Sai on the hood, Rin on the running board. "_Baka!"_ Kagome screamed as she somehow kept the SUV from skidding into a spin. _"Baaaakaaaa!"_

Kilala dug her claws into the metal, holding herself fast, while Sai hooked one arm around one of Kilala's paws and another through the open passenger-side window. Rin also grabbed the edge of the open window, wobbled for a moment, then drew a straight-bladed sword and rammed it through the door, giving herself a solid handhold. Through the window, she saw the passenger in the back seat raising another shotgun, and quickly squatted down and leaned backwards, both hands on her adopted father's sword, his fur cloak thumping the highway mere inches away from her back. The shotgun blast blew out the window above her, and a few shards of glass cut her face, but Rin's reaction was only a wince. She pulled herself back up to look over the window, only to see that the gunman in the rear seat had not the pump-action single-barreled Ithaca of the man in the front seat, but a double-barreled version–and he had only fired one of those barrels.

"Die, bitch!" the gunman snarled, and pulled the other trigger.The blast was slowed somewhat by the door, but enough remained to catch Rin in the chest, blowing her backwards. Somehow, she kept her grip on the sword's hilt and round pommel, her head bouncing roughly on the pavement as blood and bone fragments exploded from her torso.

"RIN!" Kagome cried out. She had fallen behind the tan SUV as she somehow got into the driver's seat, but now she pressed down on the accelerator, trying to get alongside in a desperate attempt to pull Rin back into their SUV. Suddenly, she realized she had problems of her own as another of the black-suited men leapt from the back of the tan SUV to land solidly on the hood of her own. Two hands grasped the top edge of where the windshield had been, while another pair of arms latched onto the side. _Wait a second,_ Kagome thought, _four arms?_ She looked at the man, but it wasn't a man any longer–not as its face elongated, its jaw unhinged to expose rows of needle teeth and a purple tongue, and its bulging eyes turned poisonous green. "Demon," she breathed.

With catlike agility, Sai climbed down onto the running board, hastily grabbing the rearview mirror with his left hand and grabbing the trailing edge of Rin's furry wrap, roughly jerking her upright. She was pale, her face slack and her eyes closed, gore covering her face even as more blood poured from the hideous wound in her upper chest. Her hands never moved, somehow maintaining a death grip on the hilt of the sword, but the blade had begun coming out of the door, so Sai held her against the holed second passenger door. He was then confronted with the unenviable sight of two shotguns being pointed at his head.

Kilala ducked as the driver fired a pistol through the windshield at her. Now with a pistol port, the driver rammed the barrel of the gun through and fired again at the rather large target sitting on his hood. With a bloom of fire and smoke, however, the sabretooth was gone, and the driver started, now seeing a rather cute kitten holding on almost pathetically by tiny claws, looking decidedly drenched. Flames erupted again, and he blinked. The kitten was gone, replaced by a rather angry, decidedly bizarre hybrid of great cat and blonde woman, who raised a fist that was most definitely aimed for his temple. His finger tightened on the trigger.

The pump shotgun was the nearer of the two, and the man in the backseat was just finished reloading, so Sai decided the Ithaca was the bigger threat for the next second or two. Still holding onto Rin, he pushed his arm through the window and grabbed the barrel. The person holding it only grinned at him, allowing Sai to move the barrel, since now the shot would blow off his left arm. Sai grinned back, and suddenly the interior of the tan SUV lit up in bright blue as lightning arced from Sai's fingers, into the steel shotgun barrel, and into the man holding it. His fingers convulsed on the trigger, but that was a split-second after the gunpowder in the shotgun shell sparked and went off, erupting in the gunman's face. Screaming from the pain of being electrocuted and now with hands pressed to the bloody ruin of his face, the gunman fell backwards into the driver, knocking off his aim. The bullet went wide, missing Kilala. Her punch starred the glass but did not break through, and then the catgirl had to hold on as the driver slammed the wheel to the right, sending the tan SUV towards the concrete dividers.

The demon laughed horribly at Kagome, and lunged into the passenger compartment. Teeth clacked together an inch short of Kagome's throat, but she forced the demon back by ramming her left fist between its eyes. The demon flinched and snorted. "Is that supposed to hurt?" it screeched at her.

"No," Kagome replied. "This is."

In one fluid motion, she let go of the wheel, pulled on the beads on her wrist, and shoved her right hand into the demon's face. It let out a heart-rending scream of terror as it saw infinity for a split-second, and then collapsed inward on itself as it was sucked into the void in the palm of Kagome's right hand. It took less than two seconds to disappear entirely, and Kagome swiftly retied the glove around the black hole before it sucked in more than a foolish demon and rain.

Rin's eyes suddenly snapped open, even as the man in the back seat snapped the double-barreled shotgun closed and aimed it at Sai. He saw the movement and his eyes widened. "That's impossible!" he exclaimed, bringing the gun around to fire it at what his mind told him should be a dead woman. He could see the exposed bone of her sternum, even a bit of lung through the mass of blood and destroyed flesh. And yet she was staring at him with pitiless eyes, her lips dripping blood as they twisted into a rictus of utter hatred.

"I can't die," Rin enunciated clearly, "but you can."

She pulled Tokujin from the door and stabbed it through the hole the shotgun made, leaning forward as she impaled the gunman in the stomach. She began to pull herself through the shattered window, her expression not changing as the man struggled feebly to pull the sword from him, no longer able to even so much as scream. By the time Rin fell onto the back seat, he was already dead, his life force pulled from him by the cursed sword.

Sai opened the passenger door and climbed in as well as the driver straightened out the SUV a moment before it would have crashed into the median. Their eyes met. "Look," Sai said conversationally, over the moans of the passenger almost underneath him, "you've got a pissed off catgirl on your hood, a rather upset immortal girl with a blood-hungry sword in your back seat, and me, an easygoing guy who can make your spine light up like a Christmas tree. Why don't you just make things easy and surrender?"

The driver had to consider only for a moment. He took his foot off the gas and put both hands on the wheel, fingers splayed in a gesture of compliance. Sai nodded and touched the mike at his throat as the SUV began to coast to a halt. "Kagome, this is Sai. We got 'em. You all right back there? I saw somebody jump you."

Her voice came back a little ragged. "I should suck your ass up just like I did his, you moron! I can't believe what you did!"

Otomeinu's voice overrode Kagome's before the latter could rant any further. "Sai, what's the condition of the team? Obviously Kag is okay, since she's griping."

"Oh, you can _both_ bite me!"

"We're fine," Sai said, resisting the urge to smile. "Rin was hit, but it looks like she'll be all right. Kilala's okay too, and so am I. We've got two dead bad guys, one in critical condition, and a smart driver who's going to cooperate fully."

"And the briefcase?"

Sai looked back at Rin. She shakily held up their goal.

"We got it, O."

"Chief?"

The chair turned around from the huge picture window that faced out over the skyline of Tokyo. "What is it, Major Kusanagi?"

"Situation report." Kusanagi did not pause. "Team Eight reports success. They've stopped both SUVs short of the Kesai roadblock and secured what appears to be a Russian suitcase-sized nuclear device."

The old man relaxed visibly. He brushed an errant strand of silver hair out of his face. "That's good to hear. Casualties?"

"Agent Rin Sesshoumaru was wounded briefly."

Something Kusanagi didn't recognize arced through the Chief's yellow eyes for a moment, and he sighed. "Feh. Might as well not even report it when it comes to Rin. Anyone else?"

"Agent Kagome Taijiya reports that she thinks she lost her wits and possibly bladder control, thanks to Agent Sai Ikazuchi." The Major and the Chief shared a laugh at that. Then because the Chief would never ask, Kusanagi added, "Agent Otomeinu Higurashi has a separated shoulder. The medicos are looking at her now...she should be fine as well."

The Chief's eyes narrowed at that. "Taking too many risks, as usual. I want to see her the second she gets back here." He sighed again. "How did the other side do?"

"Four dead. One's being flown to Tokyo General in critical condition–Sai blew his shotgun up in his face. He might pull through, though he'll probably need a new face. The driver surrendered and is in custody."

"Make sure he's brought here. I don't want any of Naraku's assassins getting to him before he can talk. I assume Kagura escaped?"

"Yes, sir. Afraid so. We have an APB out, but..." Kusanagi's voice trailed off. "We'll never catch her."

"Mm. Civilian casualties?"

"Ten car pileup on the southbound Higashi-Kanto. Six injuries reported; nothing serious. A few near misses reported on the northbound lane. There's a Mister Kentaro Oe who reported his motorcycle stolen at Narita Airport...we found what's left of it in a rice paddy near the Miyanogi Interchange. United Delta Flight 337 diverted into Osaka Kansai with a hysterical passenger who swears he saw a catgirl on the wing."

The Chief massaged the bridge of his nose. "Gods..."

"It could have been worse," Kusanagi said helpfully. There was little love lost between her and Otomeinu, but they were on the same side.

"Yes. If that damn nuke had gone off. Still, we're going to have to do some damage control, and that means I get to talk to the Prime Minister in an hour or two." He smiled derisively. "Oh, yes, Major. I _definitely_ want to see Otomeinu Higurashi when she gets here. Immediately." He rested his chin on steepled fingers. "And before you ask, she being my daughter is not going to save her."

Kusanagi smiled thinly. "I didn't think so."


End file.
